A blog about the Iraqi cuisine from ancient Mesopotamian times to the present, by Nawal Nasrallah, author of Delights from the Garden of Eden, 2003. A new fully revised edition is released (UK: Equinox Publishing, 2013), with more than 300 splendid images of dishes, art, history and culture.
TLS (Nov 1, 2013) said about it:
"A splendid achievement…obviously a labor of love … an impressive book. Each page shows erudition, every recipe a passion for food."
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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Madgooga: An Iraqi Date
Confection

مدكوكة

Madgoogd made with dried dates and tahini (see second recipe below)

The date palm is the national
tree of Iraq, and that is for a good reason: it was there on the land of
ancient Mesopotamia that this tree was first cultivated and flourished about seven
thousand years ago. From there this beautiful and generous tree spread to the
rest of the Middle East. It nourished and protected the poor, enriched the fine
pastries of the rich, and inspired the people’s spiritual and religious rites.
Every single part of the tree, fruit and all, was used. An ancient Babylonian
hymn singing its praises, tells of the 360 uses of the date palm. It was that
perfect!

But the date is of course the
most important part of the tree, and in the Islamic Arab lore, it is a privileged
food. The Prophet himself recommended having seven dates a day, as this was believed
to guard against poison and witchcraft all day long. According to the Qur’anic
verses describing the birth of Christ, Mary nourished herself with the dates falling
from the palm underneath of which she went through labor. During the fasting
month of Ramadan, Muslims break their fast at sunset by first having a few
dates following the tradition of the Prophet, as this is believed to provide
the much needed nourishment fast.

Fully ripe fresh dates, sweet and soft

The date is almost a miracle
food: According to recent scientific research, dates have heart-friendly
antioxidants, which can also prevent certain kinds of cancer. Dates are believed
to allay anxiety and nervous disorders in children. How to do it: Just let your
kid eat seven dates a day. Easy. Want to treat alcoholism? No problem: Twice a day and for a whole month, drink the
liquid in which a few dates have been steeped for a couple of hours. This is
believed to weaken the urge for alcohol. Going through a bout of low libido? Not to worry. Eat half a pound of dates or cook “Cupid’s omelet.”

Want to eat
something for sheer joy? Nibble on five or six dates, fresh or dried, or make
them into a delicious confection, which Iraqis have been making for many many
centuries.

This confection is called madgooga (literally ‘the pounded’)
as it was traditionally made of equal amounts of dry dates and walnut or rashi/tahini
(sesame paste) pounded into paste with a mortar and pestle for a long time, nowadays
conveniently replaced with the food processor. The dates Iraqis use for this sort
of candy is a dry date called tamurashrasi. This variety is hard
to find outside the country, but you may substitute with any kind of dry dates, or even the regular dried dates, as you will see in the following two recipes:

Madgooga made with date sugar crystals and walnut (first recipe)

1. For this version, I use ‘date sugar crystals’ purchased from Shields Date Garden in southern
California (link: Shields Date Garden).
This stuff is 100 per cent dry dates crushed into granules. To make a small
amount, put ½ cup ‘date sugar crystals’ and ½ cup walnut in a food processor. Pulse
the ingredients until they form into paste. A few drops of water or tahini may
help the mix bind faster, and make the resulting madgooga less crumbly
in texture. Spread the candy in a small plate, in one-inch-thick layer, and
sprinkle generously with coarsely crushed pistachio, or any nuts of your
choice.

Madgooga made with dried dates and tahini (second recipe)

2. If you only have the regular dried dates, then follow this method:

½ cup flour

2 cups pitted dates

½ cup tahini/sesame paste

1 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon coarsely ground toasted aniseeds

½ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds

½ cup toasted walnut halves

¼ cup coarsely crushed pistachio

Dry toast the flour by putting it in a heavy skillet
and stirring it constantly until it starts to change color and emits a pleasant
fragrance, about 5 minutes on medium heat. Let it cool down a little.

Then, in a food processor, put the toasted flour
along with dates, tahini, cardamom, aniseeds, and coriander. Process until
mixture forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Divide
the date paste into two portions. Press one half onto a flat plate forming a 7 inch disc.
Arrange the toasted nuts all over the surface, and cover with the other half.
Press the surface, and sprinkle it with the pistachio.

Madgooga with date sugar crystals and walnut (first recipe)

All you need know
about the date palm and its fruit, the history, the culture, the myths, the
legends, and of course recipes including ‘Cupid’s Omelet,’ and much more, you
will find in my latest book Dates: A Global History (Edible Series,
published by Reaktion Books, London, 2011. In USA, distributed by Chicago
University Press). You can order it from your local bookstore or on-line.

About Me

I am an independent Iraqi scholar, passionate about cooking and its history and culture, an award-winning researcher and food writer. The first edition of my cookbook Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine (2003) is winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards,. It is now released in a new revised edition, elegantly styled and generously illustrated with color photos (Equinox Publishing, UK). My book Dates: A Global History (Edible Series, Reaktion Books) was released in April 2011. A charming account of the date palm and its fruit, informative and fun to read. My English translation of Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's 10th-century Baghdadi cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh, entitled Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens (Brill, 2007), was awarded "Best Translation in the World" and "Best of the Best of the Past 12 Years" of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2007. It also received Honorable Mention in 2007 Arab American National Museum Book Awards. I co-authored Beginner's Iraqi Arabic, with 2 audio CDs (Hippocrene,2005) I have been giving cooking classes and presentations on the Iraqi cuisine. Visit my website www.iraqicookbook.